Everything about The Alogi totally explained
The
Alogi (ἄλογοι, also called "Alogians") were a group of
Christian heretics in
Asia Minor that flourished around
170 CE. What we know of them is derived from their doctrinal opponents, whose literature is still extant, particularly
St. Epiphanius of
Salamis. It was Epiphanius who coined the name "Alogi" as a
wordplay suggesting that they were both illogical (
anti-
logikos) and they were against the Christian
doctrine of the
Logos. “
“St. Epiphanius (
Haer. LI) gives a long account of the party of heretics who arose after the
Cataphrygians,
Quartodecimans, and others, and who received neither the
Gospel of St. John nor his
Apocalypse.”
(External Link
); they instead attributed the two
New Testament books to the
Gnostic Cerinthus, who was actually an enemy of
the Apostle.
Regarding their beliefs, Epiphanius asserts that the Alogians denied the continuation of
spiritual gifts in the church in opposition to the
Montanists. They explicitly deny the Logos doctrine in John chapter 1 and they deny
Johannine authorship by comparing his Gospel with the
synoptic Gospels. Their comparative method was considered very foolish in Epiphanius’ opinion who derided them as "stupid". Epiphanius argues that Cerinthus couldn't have written the Gospel of John because whereas Cerinthus denied the deity of
Christ, the Gospel taught Christ’s
Godhead. Epiphanius contemplates that they may not reject Christ’s deity outright, but instead just the “Logos form from which the doctrine is presented in the
Gospel.”
(External Link) He therefore isn't so much concerned with their
Christology as much as he's concerned with their biblical criticism. Nevertheless Epiphanius is harsh in his condemnation of them and asserts that the bottom line for the Alogi is that they deny the Gospel of John and consequently the Word-Flesh Logos doctrine. In Epiphanius, they're clearly distinguished from the
Ebionites, and from the
Docetists. Some have doubted their existence because of Epiphanius' seeming ability to exaggerate or multiply heresies.
Further Information
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